Committed to the art of dance for all ages and abilities.

"A good teacher explains ... A superior teacher demonstrates ...
A GREAT teacher inspires." ~William Arthur Ward

      Staff and Faculty

Stay tuned for more 2010-11 faculty additions!

Alicia Parrish  Founder/Director, Ballet, Conditioning, Children's Classes, Certified Gyrotonic® Trainer

Alicia has been teaching classical ballet for over 16 years. Dancing since the age of 5, she studied in the Bay Area at notable classical ballet schools including the Santa Clara Ballet, San Jose Dance Theatre, Western Ballet, and the Oakland Ballet under the direction of Ron Guidi where by the age of 13, was attending company classes.   She trained extensively under Maggie Parungau-Ferla at Dance Theatre International, who gave her opportunities to perform and teach alongside the highest caliber of world class dancers and teachers from world renowned companies such as the Hamburg Ballet, Ballet Bejart, San Francisco Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Lines Contemporary Ballet and many others.  This is where Alicia first began teaching.  During this time she also studied with teachers such as Christine Elliott, Shannon Bresnahan, Rodney Gustafson, and Aturo Fernandez.  She has performed soloist roles in ballets such as A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Sleeping Beauty, productions of The Nutcracker and others where she was able to perform with wonderful artists such as Yannis Adoniou and Xavier Ferla. 

Deciding to redirect her life to focus on motherhood,  Alicia relocated to the Seattle area in 2000.  Noticing that the Eastside had limited opportunities available for those who would love to dance, Alicia founded Issaquah Dance Theatre and began to teach locally while attending classes at PNB, Spectrum Dance Theater and Ballet Bellevue. 

In 2005, Alicia’s love of movement drew her to train to become a certified GYROTONIC® Trainer under Master Trainer Karen Mullen, which in turn enhances her qualifications as a dance and movement educator and allows her to work with dancers to condition their bodies outside of class and on a therapeutic level. 

In 2006 Alicia founded the collaborative Non Profit Organization, 'Eastside Youth Dance Theatre' and directed the 2006 and 2008 full length productions of "The Nutcracker"  here on the Eastside. 

Her teaching strengths lie in developing technically precise, dynamic dancers and intelligent movers, who will learn to develop a deep understanding of their bodies, a love for dance, and most importantly help her students hopefully grow to be responsible, good people.  She loves working with children and families, so this has been the focus here at IDT.   She is known for her passionate, inspirational and energetic approach to teaching students of all ages, and truly believes in helping individuals nurture their love of dance!    Alicia's most important and rewarding job of all is that of being a wife to her amazing husband and co owner, Scott, and mother to her three children ages 16, 12 and 3. 

Mary Thurtle 

Studio Manager, Instructor, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap

Born and raised in the Seattle area, Mary has been dancing since the young age of three! For 10 years she competed regionally and nationally, receiving various convention scholarships and awards. Mary graduated Magna Cum Laude from USC in May 2009 with a B.A. in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Cinematic Arts, and a Minor in Dance. While living in Los Angeles, she explored the commercial dance world in Hollywood and worked with and assisted various choreographers at EDGE Performing Arts Center, performed with S.H.E. Dance Company and UnBound Dance Ensemble, served as the Operations Coordinator for the LA Contemporary Dance Company, and was the Company Manager and Assistant Artistic Director of the USC Repertory Dance Company. Since relocating to Seattle, Mary continues to perform with New Vision Dance Company, the Mo-dazz Alumni Group, and as a guest performer for other choreographers. We are thrilled to have Mary serve as the IDT Studio Manager as well as teacher and rehearsal director for IDT AXiS Performing Groups. She is honored to be such an integral part of the IDT family!

Emily Andres Ballet, Children's Classes

Emily started dancing at the age of 3 in Seattle, Washington with formal training in ballet, modern, contemporary and jazz at the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School.  She performed in pieces such as Le Bayadere, Tarantella and Love Pas de Deux.  After the Conservatory she went on to dance with New Vision Dance Company and began teaching.  Later she moved to California where she continued training at Edge Performing Arts Center and taught at various studios.  Upon her return to Seattle, Emily has continued to perform while also sharing her passion for dance with the wonderful students at IDT!

Julie Britten  Children's Classes

Julie has been dancing for over 20 years and has owned and directed a school of her own.  She holds a degree in elementary education and has years of experience teaching Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Pre Dance and Acrobatics.  She truly loves working with children!  Julie just started a full time job as a new mom to her sweet little addition, baby Noah.  We look forward to having Julie back after her maternity leave later this year!

Christine Burgett  Hip Hop, Certified ZUMBA Instructor

Christine Burgett (aka-Miss Chriss) has been dancing since the young age of three in Dallas, TX.   Part of competition dance teams through her childhood and teen years, she served as apprentice/assistant teacher for jazz, tap and hip hop classes through her senior year in high school, where she also danced and choreographed for Norwalk High School.  Upon graduating, she attended Peninsula College where she was a team member & captain of the Pirette Dance Team for two years while she instructed Hip Hop for kids at the Sequim Aquatic Recreational Center, numerous dance camps, & the Juan de Fuca Festival.  Upon graduating Peninsula College with her certification in Massage Therapy, Christine was asked to instruct Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, & Cheer in Sequim, WA. In November of 2009, Christine went to Zumba Instructor Training in Gig Harbor & added ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR to her already busy schedule!  Feeling the need for personal & professional growth, Christine moved to Newcastle, WA in August 2010.  She is a massage therapist at the Sorella Salon & Spa in Issaquah, will be instructing Hip Hop & Zumba @IDT, as well as being a part of the New Vision Dance Company.

 

  Rhonda Cinotto  

Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical

Rhonda has served as a full time faculty member at Western Michigan University Dance Department, the University of WA and currently directs the dance department at The Seattle Academy.  She holds a MFA in The Psychology and Ethics of Teaching and also a BFA in Dance from the University of Washington.  Her professional performing experience includes Chamber Dance Company, several years with Spectrum Dance Theater under Wade Madsen, Dale Merrill and Donald Byrd where she also served as rehearsal director.  Rhonda has performed countless roles by diverse and notable choreographers over the years.  Rhonda teaches on a regular guest basis with IDT and runs our "Young Artists For Humanity" program. 

Natalie Dukane   Hip Hop
Natalie was born in Seattle, Washington and started dancing at ripe age of three. Her background includes ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, and hip-hop. By the time she was 17 years old, she was already teaching hip hop classes  here on the Eastside until she moved on as a student at the University of Idaho studying Dance and Economics, where during her tenure there, she continued to teach hip hop and jazz. 

In addition to attending national dance conferences, Natalie has worked with many well-known choreographers including Elmer Pizarro, Tabitha and Napolean Dumo, Rhonda Miller, Kirsten Cooper, and Donald Shorter. She has also worked with modern dance companies including Lineage Dance and hip-hop groups Breed and Cruz Control. For the past four years, Natalie has been a featured choreographer at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.  She currently teaches our beginner teen open hip hop classes and substitute here at IDT. 

 

Melissa Gould  

AXiS Liaison Director and Choreographer.  Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Hip Hop, Musical Theater

Melissa Gould is a graduate of San Jose State University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and was voted "Best Choreographer". She has been a dance teacher for studios in San Jose and Las Vegas where many of her dance troupes won National Championships. During her professional dance career she performed in Japan, Korea, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Guam and for Norwegian Cruise Lines. She is a Musical Theatre lover and has choreographed over a dozen shows for city theatre groups and high schools. Her choreography has been seen in several dance concerts, musicals, nightclub revues, fashion shows and choreography showcases. Her passion for inspiring young dancers led her to create youth dance companies in San Jose and Las Vegas with repertories including jazz, tap, lyrical, hip-hop, musical theatre and modern works. A dance instructor for 22 years, Melissa has students who are now performing professionally themselves in music videos, Las Vegas productions and NFL and NBA cheerleading squads. She most recently was a member of the dance faculty of the Washington Academy of Performing Arts in Redmond. Melissa is known for her intense dance style, challenging classes and entertaining choreography.

Lina Korsmo Johnson   Jazz, Contemporary/Lyrical, Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Children's Classes

Bio Coming Soon!

  Danela Lewis   Ballet

Danela is an accomplished dancer, instructor and choreographer.   She has trained with the Palos Verdes Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, Joe Tremaine and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She has performed with various dance companies including San Francisco Ballet, Bella Lewitzski Company and the Henry Mancini Dancers. Danela has participated in workshops with Tandy Beal, The Moving Company, Alwin Nikolais, Joe Bennet, and Pilobolus. She has taught at various schools in the Pacific Northwest including the International School of Ballet in Kirkland, Olympic Ballet, served as Artistic Director at the Ballet Arts Center in Bellevue, and has participated in Artist in Residency programs.  Danela was a member of Dance Educators of America from 1975-1982 and provided movement training for the 1984 United States Men’s Downhill Ski Team. Her experience, energy and love of dance inspire all who dance with her!

Elyse Postlewaite Ballet, Children's Classes

Bio Coming Soon!

Scott Parrish

B.A., LMP, CSP, Reiki Master Teacher, Executive Director

www.issaquahmassageandbodywork.com

Rachel Randall Modern

Rachel was born in Biggleswade, England and has danced professionally in London, Ghana, Yakima, and Seattle.  When she isn't dancing, she is catching flying children at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts!  Rachel is passionate about dance, choreography, and making dance films. Her third dance film, “Green Triangle/Poopy Park,” done in collaboration with Nathan Vass and Joyce Liao was recently shown at Velocity’s Next Dance Cinema Festival. She is an alumnus of the Laban Center in London, and the University of Washington where she danced choreography by Martha Graham and Alwin Nickolias with the Chamber Dance Company and won the 2007 award for outstanding achievement in choreography for her work “Living Shadows.” Before going to college Rachel danced with two all Ghanaian dance companies while living in Ghana West Africa for a year. Rachel currently performs with Tessee George’s Dance Contemporary, and Cyrus Khambatta’s Phffft Dance Theatre Company. She has just started her own company, RandAll Dance, and is excited to be putting on a show in her hometown of Yakima WA. Between these three companies Rachel has performed in the Artopia festival, Beyond the Threshold International Dance Festival, Park Dance, and the Arts in Nature Festival. Other recent performances include performing in Santa Monica, CA, with Dance Contemporary, with Andre Feriante at Beneroya Hall, at the Meydenbauer Theatre in Chop Shop, and the Seattle Opera’s production of Iphigenia in Tauris at McCaw Hall. She is excited to be sharing her passion for dance with the community of Issaquah Dance Theatre!
 

John-John Roque Hip Hop

Phillipine-born John Roque, or "John-John", is an up and coming Hip Hop choreographer, who has trained and worked with some of Seattle's top choreographers and instructors. He's loved dancing since he was young but only recently developed a true passion for it during his attendance at Shorecrest High School where he was part of the Hip Hop Dance Team, under Rex Kinney and Kenny Harlow. Since graduation from high school he became part of the original Rated PG under Kolanie Marks and Andrew Faulkner. He then later on joined Cameron Lee's Hip Hop group Potion and Kevin Nguyen's Entyce. John Roque has also worked with renowned choreographer Daniel Cruz and became a cast member of Daniel's yearly Hip Hop production, Battle of Seattle held at the Moore Theatre.

Throughout his dance career, he has performed for countless local venues and events. These events include Sign Of The Times in the winter, Unrated in the Fall, and various Seahawks halftime shows. Aside from performing locally, He has also traveled and performed in Canada, Oregon, and California.

A developing Hip Hop instructor, John still considers himself a student of his art and continues to train regularly to develop his skills. He one day wishes to start his own Hip Hop Group where he can share his style to the world. Currently, John is a member of Seattle's top dance teams, Kontagious Movement with Yoshi Wright, and Phyzikal Graffi-t Elite under Kolanie Marks.
 

  Kelsey Jamieson Ruth Tap

Kelsey holds a minor in Dance and a Psychology degree at the University of Washington and teaches the art of movement all over the eastside.  She began dancing at the age of three and her repertoire has been expanding ever since!  Kelsey was part of a competitive tap team from the age of five through the age of sixteen. She spent her high school and college years participating in many musicals and plays. Kelsey has been the assistant choreographer for several musicals and she takes every opportunity available to make her ideas take life through dance.  She has also studied acting, voice, and yoga, and hopes to incorporate these things into her classes in order to foster a unique style and wide appreciation of the arts in each of her students.  Kelsey truly loves working with individuals of all ages! 
 

Jennifer Schreiber  Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Children's Classes

Jennifer grew up in the Seattle area and has been studying all forms of dance for the past 20 years. She graduated from Oklahoma City University with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance. While at OCU she was privileged to study tap under Robert L. Reed, perform the opening ceremony at the 2007 Rose Bowl parade with Kristen Chenoweth, and take master classes with a few of the great Tap Masters including Jimmy Slide, Ernest “Brownie” Brown, and Arthur Duncan. She has performed and taught locally and recently returned from her second ship with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines where she performed as a dancer and flyer/aerialist.  This fall Jennifer has been cast as an official Radio City Rockette for the holiday season! 

Stephen Seo Lyrical, Jazz, Hip Hop

Stephen Seo, represented by DDO Artists Agency, recently returned to Seattle after working on his Bachelor of Arts degree at UCLA for the last four years. He has trained and worked with some of the world's best in jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, jazz-funk, modern, and ballet. He has performed in shows all over including, Carnival: The Choreographers Ball, UCLA’s undergrad dance concert, Meyer Christmas Parade in Melbourne, Australia, and UCLA’s coveted, student-produced fashion show. In 2007, he started his own company, "FastCoLA,” which has performed at various functions through out Los Angeles including: Heartthrob at House of Blues, Tigerheat at Avalon, Hammer Museum’s Winter Abstractions, Anderson School of Management’s Spring Fashion Show, and Relay for Life. In 2008, he spent six months in Australia, teaching dance at Victoria College of the Arts’ Secondary School, a feeder school to The Australian Ballet Company. He has taught and choreographed for numerous schools and organizations all over California and Australia, such as: a full time dance academy for aspiring professional commercial dancers, La Quinta High School in southern California, Chico Creek Dance Center in northern California, NSU Modern in Los Angeles, Full Force Hip-Hop Company, and Melbourne Music Academy. In addition, he participated in the taping of a pilot for an MTV dance reality show "Dance Justice," and worked with Marguerite Derricks and Tovaris Wilson as an alternate dancer on Lifetime’s show, Your Mama Don’t Dance. He has also danced on Paris by Night and Van Son as a back-up dancer for Vietnamese pop stars.

Connie Stine   Ballet

Ms. Stine received her early training with Russel Fratto, Leon Danielion, Vincenzo Celli, David Howard, Fernando Schaffenburg, Wayne Soulant and Joyce Karpiej. As a Nordan Fine Arts Scholar, she received her BFA in Ballet and Theater from Texas Christian University, while dancing with the Fort Worth Ballet. Other professional credits include: Phoenix Ballet, Center Ballet of Connecticut, Arizona Metropolitan Ballet and Ballet Arizona. She began teaching thirty years ago in Texas and has taught in Connecticut, New York and Arizona. Ms. Stine was a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University for ten years teaching all levels of Ballet, Pointe and Pedagogy. In 1997 she began duties as Dance Chair at New School for the Arts and developed the dance program to a national level. Ms. Stine is listed in the 2000 and 2002 Who's Who in American Teachers, and was Artistic Director of Eastside Ballet for 22 years.
 

Dustin Levi Stewart   Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical

Dustin Stuart has been trained by today's most influential choreographers such as Mandy Moore, Scott Hislop, Bobby Newberry and had the honor of assisting Dee Caspary. His choreography has taken numerous high awards at events such as JUMP, LADF, and Co. Dance.

He was featured in the Music video "Do You Want Me?", and has recently appeared in several commercials and TV shows in the Los Angeles area. Dustin also performed around the world with Norwegian Cruise lines. He currently teaches at several studios both locally and nationally, and is very excited to bring his experiences to IDT.
 

Reanne Rasmusson   Apprentice Teacher, Children's Classes.

April Phillips, Amy Thompson Production /Stage Managers

Margie Teman  Live Accompanist